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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wax · field · rock · lie · dip · saw · snap · pit

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. wax — to grow
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. field — a subject
  9. dip — to sink
  10. lie — to recline
  11. snap — to click
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. pit — in a race
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. field — for sport
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. saw — the tool
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. field — farmland
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wax — in the ear

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com